


A Tale of Family, Rebirth and Second Chances

by BlackDawnRose



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-03
Updated: 2015-05-03
Packaged: 2018-03-28 22:22:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3871909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackDawnRose/pseuds/BlackDawnRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Potter/Weasley & Malfoy families have never gotten along but what if Fate decided to give some old friends a second chance to grow up together and used these two families to do it? Will they come together, will they stay separate or will they break?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, how are you? First of all thank you in advance for reading this story, I hope you enjoy it. There's a few little things I have to mention before you read or the story won't make sense so please read: Firstly this is an Albus/Scorpius story and there will be slash inside, if you don't like that don't read it. There will also be a lot of other pairings some heterosexual some homosexual but I won't tell you exactly who yet as I want a couple of them to be a surprise. Obviously this is set after the books but there are a couple of differences. Firstly Fred didn't die, in this story he and George raised Teddy after his parents died because Harry was still too young and having to deal with his fame after killing Voldamort so they decided it would be better to keep Teddy out of it and no they're not a couple or anything of the sort, I can't do that the way some people do. Hermione didn't marry Ron, she's married to Victor Krum and Ron's married to Lavender Brown who obviously didn't die either. Rose is Hermione and Victor's daughter and is the same age as Albus, Ron and Lavender have Hugo and Chelsea. Harry and Ginny have four children Lilly, James and Albus as canon but James has a twin Adria who will have a large part in this story. Draco and Astoria have three children Scorpius, Luciana and Severus, Luciana is Adria and James' age, Severus is Lilly's age. I only put a year between all the siblings. Simon and River Tam are also going to be in this story, they're based on characters from Firefly but only loosely you don't need to watch that to understand them. There will also be different characters turning up every once in a while but you'll see them when they're there. That's all I think I need to tell you right now, on with the story.

Prologue

It had always amazed Harry how quickly tiny things could snowball into much larger and totally destructive things. He'd always known that his eldest daughter, Adria, wasn't like the rest of the family, just like he'd always known his wife Ginny was painfully aware of that fact. She'd never looked at the girl with kindness, even when she was a mere baby, choosing instead to shower her affection on Adria's twin, James. Harry on the other hand had always loved his children, every one of them, but if he were being honest with himself he had never liked the way James was growing up. He was just like his name sake had been when he was a boy, smug, superior and mean to anyone who didn't fall into his category of accepted people and that list wasn't very long.

He tried to steer the boy in a different direction but no matter what he did it never seemed to work. It didn't help that Ginny found everything he did adorable or that he spent countless hours with his uncle Ron and aunt Lavender who had grown to be exactly the same. Harry would like to think that's where the attitude came from but he knew it wasn't all Ron, it was James, the boy had Harry's father's soul.

Harry had never believed in reincarnation when he was a child and never gave it any thought as an adult. When Ginny gave birth to their twins however and he held James for the first time he knew exactly who looked back at him. The same went for Albus when he was born, just a year later. The first time Harry held him he knew he was looking at his former headmaster and had he not already planned on calling the other boy after the amazing wizard that would have decided it for him. Ginny hated both the boy's names but thankfully loved the boy just as much as she loved James. She had the pair of them up on a pedestal and as far as she was concerned they could do no wrong, leading Harry to being the only disciplinarian in the house, or, dare he say it, the entire family. He was pleased to note at least that Albus didn't turn out like James despite the attention doted on him. He was, always had been and hopefully always would be like Harry; kind, caring, sweet and accepting.

When Lilly was born just 18 months later he recognised her immediately as the woman who'd given birth to and died for him so many years ago. He'd been initially thrilled when James had been born and he recognised the soul looking back at him, but when he saw Lilly and realised who she was, to say he wept like a child would have fallen far short of the truth. Lilly was just like the little girl Harry had seen in Severus' memories, beautiful, lovely and sweet. James and Lilly even looked like their namesakes, something Harry was pleased about because his mother had been beautiful and he wanted that for his daughter.

Adria was a completely different story. Where he could easily identify the souls of his other three children, hers he had a little more difficulty with. From the first moment he held her he knew there was darkness there. A darkness that, if not handled properly, could lead to a terrible outcome for everyone in their family and even the rest of the world. He could only conclude that her reincarnated soul had come from someone very dark and deep down inside he knew exactly who that soul belonged to, he just honestly couldn't bring himself to admit it, even to himself. He also saw a bright light in his eldest daughter, one that balanced the darkness like a counterweight on a scale. He hoped that light came about because Adria had been born to good people and therefore it would only take being raised in a loving environment to keep her on the light side.

It was hard when Ginny practically refused to acknowledge her and showered the rest of her siblings with affection, but Harry did all he could to show her that he loved her every day and he did, he truly loved her despite who he saw in her eyes. As the children grew Harry found they gravitated toward one of their parents more than the other. For Albus and Adria that was Harry and for James that was Ginny. In the case of Lilly she never really seemed to have a favourite, loving everybody equally the way he imagined his mother would have. She liked to lecture James though. No matter how much she loved the older boy she never allowed him to talk down to anyone in her presence and James, surprisingly enough, did exactly what she said when she was around. Unfortunately, that didn't last when Lilly wasn't present, but Harry had always been proud of her for trying to make James a better person, Merlin knew he needed it.

Adria, despite her obvious preference for Harry did everything she could to make her mother like her. Of course it was all to no avail, but the girl certainly got an A for effort. Harry always felt sorry for her and tried talking to Ginny about it, but of course his wife always denied that she favoured one child more than another, Harry figured it was because she'd been favoured so much in her own family growing up, being the only girl out of so many boys, that she didn't see it as a bad thing. Still, Harry could only keep trying, although he silently wondered just how much of this he and Adria could take before one of them snapped. It occurred to him several times that no matter how much he loved Ginny he may eventually have to call for an ultimatum to save his eldest daughter from following in the footsteps of other dark wizards who turned out the way they did because they felt unloved.

Deep down he knew the day would come eventually, he just did everything he could to forestall it in the hopes he was wrong. He really didn't want to lose his family after growing up without one.

Things travelled on like this for years, not getting any better but not getting any worse, until the year James and Adria started at Hogwarts. Before they'd left James and several of his cousins were teasing Adria about how she was going to end up in Slytherin, because just like Ginny and Harry, the rest of the family had always known there was something different about Adria and in the children's minds that meant she was to be picked on. Adria had always ignored their jeers, choosing to hang out with Albus, Victorie, Lilly, Teddy (as Fred and George had taken him in and raised him after the war ended) and Rose, (as she, Hermione and Victor had been adopted into the Weasley clan and were therefore present at all family events), who did accept her whenever family gatherings occurred. When the boys started on about this however, Adria had taken it to heart and Harry had seen her inner panic about the thought of how badly the family would ostracize her if she did end up in Slytherin.

Harry had tucked her in for her last night at home before heading to Hogwarts and assured her that being in Slytherin was nothing to fear. He told her to ignore what her brother and cousins had said and focus on the excitement of starting at wizarding school. He promised her that he would love her and be proud of her regardless of where she ended up before kissing her goodnight and heading to bed himself, hoping that he'd helped at least a little.

The following morning the children had headed off on the Hogwarts express, James excitedly, Adria nervously. All day Harry waited for news and when at last it came to him it wasn't through a message from his daughter, but plastered all over the Daily Prophet.

"Potter Child in Slytherin House, What Will This Mean for the Future of Wizarding Society?" the headline had read and Harry had felt his heart sink at the knowledge of how he knew Ginny was going to react when she saw it.

His wife didn't disappoint him.

By this point in time the relationship between them was so strained it was almost painful, but Harry did his best to soothe the ranting, raving woman. He'd managed to calm her for a little while, then, Adria's first letter had arrived via owl. Harry had expected anguish at having been placed in Slytherin, instead the letter was full of happiness and joy about the new friends she'd made. There were a couple of names Harry recognised, Nott and Zambini among them, the name that gave him real pause however and the one he knew was going to get Ginny and the rest of the family the most riled up was one Luciana Malfoy, the eldest child and only daughter of Draco and Astoria Malfoy.

Of course Harry had heard of her, Draco had only recently moved back to England which had been plastered all over the Profit all summer and while he was skimming over the articles Harry had seen her name mentioned several times. He hadn't however noticed the line that said she'd be starting at Hogwarts this year and while Harry had studiously ignored the articles about the Malfoy family because he hated gossip, he found himself wishing that he'd read them just so he could have been somewhat prepared for this eventuality. Of course, he could never have really been prepared for this.

Ginny went ballistic and that was putting it mildly. He once more managed to calm her down but it wasn't to last. Many in the family felt like Ginny did and when they found out they voiced that opinion immediately and loudly, ordering him (although they called it trying to help) to put a stop to Adria's friendship before the girls grew too close.

Harry's reply to the the rest of the family was very much like he'd told Ginny; that it was Adria's choice who she befriended not any of theirs, which they didn't accept until Harry made it clear that it wasn't a topic open for debate and he would raise his daughter how he saw fit. They grudgingly shut up then and Ginny didn't push the issue, but he could feel a wedge starting to form in the family and he knew it would eventually lead to a very large blow up, particularly in December when Adria would be coming home for Christmas holidays.

Harry was right of course; the fight was bitter and nasty and ended in Adria telling her mother to go to hell refusing to leave her bedroom for the rest of the holidays. She allowed Harry, Rose, Victorie, Albus and Lilly admittance but no one else and she refused to speak to Ginny at all, even before she boarded the train back to Hogwarts. Harry could only be grateful the rest of the family hadn't turned up to give their opinions on the matter which he was sure they were dying to do.

A few weeks later another surprise arrived in the form of one Draco Malfoy appearing in Harry's work place. The Former Slytherin had become a very well-known and sought after potions master and mediwizard over in Australia after finishing at Hogwarts, but had come back to England when it came time for his daughter to attend school, wanting her to go there but not wanting to be half the world away when she did. He'd been hired by the Ministry to be the chief potions maker and mediwizard at the Auror's office in England and arrived unexpectedly one morning outside Harry's door.

When he knocked Harry expected it to be one of the researchers bringing him something new for the case he'd been working on, when he'd seen Draco stroll into the room he'd quite literally dropped his quill. To say Draco looked amazing would have been the understatement of the century. His hair sat just about his shoulders and was cut in a way that looked as if just a simple run of his fingers through it would be enough to go from a day look to an evening one. His skin was still milky white with just the slightest hint of gold to it which wasn't at all surprising considering where the other man had been.

He flashed Harry a bright, friendly smile that completely floored Harry and held out his hand with a polite greeting of, "Mr Potter."

For a moment Harry was reminded of his first day of Hogwarts and the hand Draco had offered to him all those years ago that he hadn't accepted. He quickly brushed the memory aside and took the other man's hand without hesitation this time greeting him just as politely with a friendly smile of his own. Truth be told he had no problem with Draco these days, nor did he hold the malice toward the family that a large number of the Weasleys did. The war was over, holding on to petty hatred and malice just seemed like a waste of energy to him. He offered the other man a seat and after a bit of an uncomfortable start they'd managed quite a pleasant conversation. It surprised Harry how well he got along with this older, more pleasant Draco, in fact they seemed to have quite a bit in common.

They spoke about what they were doing with their lives and Draco's transfer to the office which meant they'd be seeing quite a bit of each other. Harry offered his condolences for the deaths of Draco's parents and Draco told Harry of Astoria's passing shortly after the birth of their youngest child. They spoke about their children, both chuckling at their use of Draco's god father's name as Draco had named his youngest after the man. When they reached the topic of Luciana and Adria being friends Draco's opinion was very similar to Harry's, the girls could be friends with whoever they liked, it was their choice not anyone else's. This was of great surprise to Harry, but he was happy to hear it, his daughter faced enough opposition in her desire to be friends with Luciana, he didn't want her facing anymore.

The conversation ended with a suggestion that they forget their past and do their best to get along which they already seemed to be managing. The suggestion was accepted by both of them without argument and Draco bid Harry farewell before heading back to his own office, which was, coincidentally, the one next to Harry's, to finish settling in.

Harry, knowing how hard it must have been for Draco to approach him like that and offer his hand after Harry had rejected it back at Hogwarts, had worked until just before midday then bought the blonde lunch from his favourite place nearby to return the gesture of kindness. Draco had accepted it with a breathtaking smile and a surprising friendship had started to build between them since that day.

The rest of the year went by without incident, of course Ginny was the same and not a word passed between her and Adria in that time, but that honestly wasn't unusual. When Summer came around the entire family went away together and Harry had been hoping to find a way to bridge the gap that had been forming between them since Adria had started Hogwarts. It didn't happen, in fact, the wedge just grew bigger. Not two days into the trip a massive fight broke out between the family members who wanted Adria to stop being friends with Lucia and those who said it was her choice who she befriended. Ron, Lavender, Ginny, Molly, Arthur, Percy, and his wife were on one side, Harry, Hermione, Victor, Bill, Fleur, Fred and George were on the other while Charlie and his wife didn't really have an opinion and just wanted the family to calm down.

The fight was nasty and the family spent the rest of the holiday not really speaking before heading home. Ginny and Harry barely spoke a word to each other and put all of their energy into getting James, Adria and Albus ready for Hogwarts. Harry and Ginny did their best not to let the children know they were having issues, none of them had been present during the fight so they didn't know what had happened, but of course they weren't stupid and were well aware that something wasn't right. Harry knew it was making Albus more nervous about going to Hogwarts and he did everything possible to make it easier for him until he left. He wasn't aware that the other children had been teasing Albus about ending up in Slytherin like they had done with Adria or how torn the boy was about which way he wanted it to go.

Finally the day arrived for the children to leave and Ginny fussed over Albus like he had with James before he'd left. Harry found the separation just as hard as Ginny but unlike his wife he hid it well. He hugged Albus and wished him luck for a great year before doing the same to Rose who was also starting at Hogwarts that year and sending them on their way. He waved as the train pulled away from the station and when at last it was out of sight he turned to Ginny and offered her his arm knowing that if they were seen as anything other than the perfect couple it would be all over the paper by the next day. Ginny accepted it knowing the same and they headed out of the station to apparate back home. As soon as they were within the walls of Grimauld place they went their separate ways and the cycle of not speaking continued.

XX

Albus knew his parents were fighting, he couldn't believe they expected to keep it a secret from him or anyone with half a brain. It made him worry about leaving them and what would happen to them while he was gone. To be honest he wouldn't be surprised if they wrote to tell him they were breaking up shortly after he arrived at Hogwarts, but he held on hope that they'd talk things out and everything would go back to normal soon. Not that normal was that great, he hated the way his mother and brother treated Adria, it was so cruel. Still, it had to be better than living without one of his parents, at least that's what he used to think, he wasn't so sure anymore.

Adria and James had boarded the train ahead of him, both eager to see their friends, although in Adria's case Albus knew it was also to avoid having to spend any more time near their mother. He wandered the train with Rose wondering what they should do. Should they find a spare compartment or seek out one of Albus' siblings? James would, no doubt, not want Albus anywhere near him and his friends, which, if Albus were being honest, didn't bother him at all. He was about as keen on spending time with James as James was on spending time with him. James liked to call him names because he took Adria's side in arguments and kept telling Albus he was evil like her and headed straight for Slytherin.

Albus tried not to let it get to him but it did, he didn't want to be evil and he didn't think Adria was either. Uncle Ron always said only evil people ended up in Slytherin and for a long time he'd believed it like James did. Then, Adria had ended up in Slytherin and Albus knew it wasn't true. Adria was his sister, he loved her, and he knew, no matter what anyone else said, that she wasn't evil. So Albus was torn. He wanted to be in Gryffindor because it meant his family wouldn't fight about him like they were about Adria, it also meant his brother would stop picking on him about being in Slytherin. At the same time he wanted to be in Slytherin because it meant he could be with Adria and perhaps he could prove that Slytherins weren't automatically evil. Of course, it meant James would continue to tease him about being in Slytherin, but he knew that even if he ended up in another house James would just find something else to tease him about. Then, there was a side of him that wanted to be in Ravenclaw because he liked to study and also because it meant he could stay out of all the crap that went on between Gryffindor and Slytherin as the rest of the houses didn't seem to be involved in it.

It was a hard decision to make, but ultimately he knew he wouldn't be the one to make it, the sorting hat would place him when he arrived at Hogwarts and it would be the final judge. For now Albus had to stop worrying about it and focus on something else, like where he and Rose were going to sit. After a little more discussion they decided they'd find Adria and headed off down the train in search of the older Potter.

They found her in a compartment cuddled up to another girl with milky white skin and long, platinum blonde hair. Another girl with mocha skin and dark brown hair sat on the blonde's other side and across from them sat a young boy with the same platinum blonde hair as the other girl, most likely a sibling, and a young boy with dark hair both of who had their heads buried in a book. They all looked up as Albus opened the compartment door and he immediately felt the shy side of his personality coming out.

"Um, hi," he greeted quietly.

"Albus, Rose," Adria sat up and studied them with concern. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Um, yeah, we were just wondering if we could sit here?" Albus asked.

"Is everywhere else full?" Adria asked.

"No, we just wanted to sit with you," Albus replied suddenly worried that she didn't want them there. "If you don't want us to we can go and find somewhere else."

"No, no," Adria reassured them with a smile. "No, I don't mind, come in. Scorpius, Simon, you guys don't mind the company do you?" she asked turning her attention to the two boys on the other side of the compartment.

Both boys answered in the negative and Albus and Rose slipped into the compartment closing the door behind them.

"This is my little brother Albus and my cousin Rose Krum," Adria introduced the pair to the rest of the compartments occupants. "This is Luciana Malfoy and Lyrra Zambini," she introduced the two girls beside her before turning to the two younger occupants of the compartment. "This is Scorpius, Luciana's younger brother, and Simon Tam a friend of his," she finished motioning to the blonde boy then the brunette. "They're starting at Hogwarts this year too."

The two girls smiled and waved with a friendly hello while the two boys got up from their chair and came forward to shake hands. Simon was lovely, very polite and friendly; Scorpius was, well, if Albus were being honest with himself, Scorpius was beautiful. Albus hadn't noticed until he stood up but Scorpius' hair was tied up at the nape of his neck with a green ribbon and cascaded down his back all the way to his waist like a wave of platinum silk. His face was angelic in a way Albus had never seen on a boy; or anyone for that matter and his eyes were the colour of molten quicksilver. He looked for all the world like an angel who had fallen from heaven and when he smiled it just made him all the more beautiful.

"It's nice to meet you, Albus," he greeted as they shook hands, "Your sister was just telling us about you."

Albus smiled, even Scorpius' voice was beautiful. "Talking about me is she? Anything bad or frightening?" he asked.

"No, all good things," Scorpius replied.

"She's lying then," Albus stage whispered causing the rest of the compartments occupants to chuckle. "It's nice to meet you too, are you looking forward to starting at Hogwarts?" he asked including Simon in that question.

Both boys nodded, excited expressions lighting up their features. An enthusiastic conversation about Hogwarts ensued as Rose and Albus settled onto the seat and continued on for a while before the topic of houses came up and Simon asked which house they thought they'd be in.

"I think Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff myself," Simon told them. "I like to study so Ravenclaw would be good for me, but I also want to be a healer one day and I tend to care a lot about people so I could end up in Hufflepuff just as easily I think."

"Ravenclaw or Gryffindor," Rose replied with a smile. "I really hope Ravenclaw, I think I'd fit in better there than anywhere else."

"Slytherin or Ravenclaw," Scorpius replied. "My entire family have been in Slytherin for generations and my sister's there so I'd like to be too. I'm different to the rest of my family in a lot of ways though, so I might end up in a different house. I like to study so Ravenclaw might be good for me."

The three turned to Albus and he shrugged not sure what to say. "Honestly I don't know. I mean most of my family were in Gryffindor, but I'm not so sure I fit in there. Adria's in Slytherin and I kinda want to be there with her, plus we're a lot alike so I might end up there. I also kind of hope I'll end up in Ravenclaw because I'd like to be left out of all the crazy house rivalry that Slytherin and Gryffindor seem to be constantly locked in, plus I like to study so I'd be good there. I really don't know."

"You know what? I recon you'll all end up in Ravenclaw," Luciana said from across the compartment causing them all to look at her in surprise. "Tell me honestly, if you weren't talking about Hogwarts what would you all be doing right now?" she asked.

"Reading," the four replied in unison before exchanging surprised glances.

"Exactly, you'd be reading and probably about the school. You're Ravenclaws, all of you, it's obvious." Luciana finished with a grin.

"You know I actually wouldn't mind that at all," Simon said.

"Neither would I," Scorpius added.

"I don't think any of us would," Rose said with a smile. "I guess we'll see when we get there."

The group nodded and after a few moments of silent contemplation they changed to a different topic and continued to while the trip away in friendly conversation.

XX

End of chapter

Please review


	2. the sorting

The Sorting

The train arrived at Hogwarts later that evening and the group stayed close not wanting to lose each other in the crowd. Albus held tightly to Rose's hand and, as luck would have it, Scorpius' hand as well. They headed toward Hagrid who was calling for the first years and Adria, Luciana and Lyrra wished them luck before heading off together and leaving the youngsters in the care of Hagrid and each other. Hagrid led them to the boats and they climbed in, Albus and Scorpius ending up on one seat while Rose and Simon ended up on another. They all stared in awe as the castle came into view, their excitement growing more and more the closer they got.

Albus was so excited, but at the same time he couldn't help the nagging worry in the back of his mind about which house he'd end up in. Luciana was right the others really did sound like Ravenclaws, but what if he wasn't studious enough? What if they all ended up in Ravenclaw and he didn't? He didn't want to be placed away from Rose and now that he'd met Scorpius and Simon he didn't want to be parted from them either. He really liked them, especially Scorpius, somehow he just felt so at home and comfortable with them, more than he did with most of his family.

Suddenly he felt a hand gently slip into his and he turned to find Scorpius smiling at him reassuringly. "Stop worrying so much. We'll find out which houses we're in when we get in there, there's no point panicking about it before then, you're just going to miss out on all the excitement," he said softly.

Albus slipped his fingers through the blonde's and confided, "I'm scared. What if you're all put in Ravenclaw and I'm in Gryffindor. I've just met you and Simon; I don't want to lose you already, and Rose, Rose and I have been friends forever, what if we're sorted into different houses."

"Then you'll be our friend from a different house," Scorpius replied squeezing his hand gently. "So maybe we won't share a dorm room or wear the same colour robe and tie, what does that really matter, Albus? The houses are only there to give us someone to compete against, to teach us the value of friendly competition. Just because so many people in the past have made it into more than that doesn't mean we have to. I don't care if you turn out to be a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff, you're still going to be Albus Potter, the boy I met on the train a few hours ago who I really like a lot and plan to spend the rest of my school years, and hopefully years after, getting to know. A house is just a word, Albus, nothing more."

For a moment Albus just stared at the beautiful, blonde boy, his gaze burning into the quicksilver depths of Scorpius' eyes as he absorbed what the other boy had said and what it meant to him. Then, he threw his free arm around the blonde's neck and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," he whispered as Scorpius hugged him back.

"You're welcome," Scorpius replied. "Can I ask you something though? Why are you so scared of what the sorting hat's going to say? Is it family pressure? Are you worried that they'll be disappointed if you end up in a certain house or..?" he trailed off leaving the question open.

"You know what? I really don't know anymore," Albus replied pulling back. "I mean I'm worried about what ending up in Slytherin like my sister will do to my family, they already argue enough over her being there and I really don't want to cause more arguments. When I was younger my uncle and my brother used to tell me that only evil people were in Slytherin and it was an awful house to be in. Then, Adria was placed there and she told me it wasn't like they made it out to be. She said it was really nice and she's not evil, I know she's not. Still, James kept on and on about evil Slytherins and as it got closer to me starting here he started picking on me about how I was going to end up in Slytherin because I was evil like her."

"But you don't think she's evil, right, you said that before?" Scorpius asked.

"No, I don't, and I hate when he says things like that about her because I know they're not true, but I was still afraid of being placed in Slytherin because it was the evil house, you know, as silly as it sounds. Then I got on the train and I've spent time with you and your sister, Luciana's really nice and she's in Slytherin, just one more reason to not be concerned about being placed in Slytherin, but I can't get the worry out of my mind," Albus continued.

"So, are you hoping to be placed in Gryffindor like James?" Scorpius asked.

"Honestly, no," Albus replied. "I mean I know most of the family are there and they want me to be there too but, I don't actually want to be a Gryffindor. I don't want to be in a house with James and the others, I don't actually like them all that much. They're mean and awful to Adria all the time and she doesn't deserve that. I don't want to be a Gryffindor," he said with finality.

"So that only leaves Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff," Scorpius said.

"I don't want to be a Hufflepuff," Albus said and they both chuckled.

"No, me either, although I'd take it over being a Gryffindor," Scorpius admitted.

"You want to know what really scares me though." Albus asked and Scorpius nodded. "Being alone," he admitted. "I'm afraid of being evil and bad but … now that we're here and I'm with you and the others, the thought that scares me the most is ending up in Gryffindor, by myself. I don't know anyone in that house that I like and I don't want to end up there alone. I want to be with you and Rose and Simon, and more than I was ever scared of being placed in Slytherin I'm scared of being a Gryffindor, I don't want to be in that house," he whispered hating the way his voice shook.

"Hey, calm down," Scorpius whispered wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "It's going to be okay. Whatever house you end up in we're still going to be your friends, okay," he reassured Albus with a gentle squeeze. "Don't be scared."

Albus nodded taking a few deep breaths to calm him down. "I know I'm being stupid, I'm sorry," he said quietly giving Scorpius a shaky smile. "I should be happy that I'm here, I don't honestly know why I'm freaking out so much."

And he honestly didn't, he was worried about where he was going to end up but he was starting to feel near hysterical and he didn't know why. He turned his attention to Scorpius instead whose hand was gently rubbing his arm in a soothing gesture. The young Malfoy really was very nice, he was glad they'd met, even if they didn't end up getting to be friends.

That last thought brought another wave of sadness to Albus so he pushed it away and concentrated on the castle they were swiftly approaching. When the boat finally hit the banks Scorpius took his hand gently and they alighted the boat together just behind Simon and Rose. As he stepped off he felt the melancholy he'd been experiencing melt away and he shook himself slightly to clear his head.

"Are you all right?" Scorpius asked concerned.

"Yeah, actually I feel fine now," he told the other boy in confusion.

"Weird," Scorpius said sounding just as confused.

"I know," Albus agreed but stopped worrying about it as they reached the entry to the castle. There would be time to think about why later.

Neither boy noticed that their hands were still linked as they strode through the castle toward the great hall. They chatted happily to Simon and Rose as they waited for the door to open and allow them entry, then they strode through the middle of the great hall and up to the front where the sorting hat was sitting, slumped on a stool, waiting for them.

The four of them waited bunched together as names were called out and students were sorted. Luna's son Lysander, a young brunette girl named Rory Gilmore and a young boy with brown, curly hair named Jessie Nott were placed in Ravenclaw. Hugo Weasley, Lavender and Ron's son who neither Rose or Albus liked, was placed in Gryffindor along with Jacob Finnigan, Lincoln Longbottom and a blonde boy Albus didn't recognize but knew from the papers named Logan Huntzburger. A young girl named Violet Zambini, Lyrra's sister, was placed in Slytherin along with a young man named Jasper Darcy and Luna's other son Lorcan.

Finally Rose was called up and the other three wished her luck as she sat on the stool and the hat was lowered onto her head. After a few seconds it cried out "RAVENCLAW!" and Rose jogged happily over to the Ravenclaw table and into the chair next to Rory. Simon was called up next and was also placed in Ravenclaw with Rose. A few more children were placed before Scorpius' name was called and it was only then that the boys realized they were still holding hands. They exchanged a surprised glance before releasing each other and Scorpius made his way up to the stool. Albus held his breath as the hat was placed on his friend's head and Albus watched it think for several seconds before calling out.

"RAVENCLAW!"

A shocked silence fell over the great hall for several seconds before the Ravenclaws broke into applause and Scorpius made his way over to sit next to Jessie across from Simon and Rose. Finally it was Albus turn and the room once more fell into silence as he made his way shakily up to the stool. He sat down and the hat was placed on his head.

"Well, well, well, hello there, I've been expecting you Albus Severus Potter. Your brother and sister were not at all difficult to place, in fact they were quite easy despite your sister's fears and I see she is thriving in Slytherin just as I knew she would. You on the other hand are a little more difficult. You were, after all, named after two former Hogwarts headmasters and you even bear the soul of one of them. Yes, Albus Dumbledore was a great man, but Severus Snape was an incredible man in his own right too there's no doubt about that. Oh, but I digress, we're not talking about them we're talking about you and where I should put you. You have the fire and spirit that would make you great in Gryffindor, but the drive, the ambition and the cunning of a Slytherin, yes, you could belong in either of these houses and you would thrive I have no doubt but … there's something different about you Albus Potter, something very different indeed, you're not really like your father, your names sake's or your siblings. A true original and that has to be acknowledged. I know whichever house I place you in will influence who you become, put you in Gryffindor and you'll become more like James, I place you in Slytherin and you'll be more like Adria, I guess the best thing would be to place you where the influence on you would be the least damaging. You're a smart boy Albus, very smart, smarter than any of the others in your line and because of that I feel that you'll be best placed in,

"RAVENCLAW!"

Sick relief flooded through Albus' body and he nearly tripped on his way over to the Ravenclaw table. Applause rang through the great hall clear and strong as he slid into the chair beside Scorpius and threw his arms around the blonde's neck.

"See, I told you it would be okay," Scorpius whispered as he hugged him back.

"I know you did, you have no idea how happy I am that you were right," Albus whispered back happily.

He pulled away from Scorpius and greeted the other children around him who were dying to introduce themselves to the famous Harry Potter's son. Albus smiled and shook hands with several of them, but through all their clamour and adoration all he could feel was relief that he was in Ravenclaw with his friends and gratitude to the sorting hat for putting him there.

XX

Harry stared blankly into the fireplace he'd been kneeling in front of to speak to Professor McGonagall about Albus. After the previous year with Adria being placed in Slytherin and him finding out through the daily Prophet, he'd owled the Hogwarts headmistress and requested that she floo him after Albus' sorting and tell him where his youngest boy had ended up. He was and wasn't surprised that Albus had ended up in Ravenclaw. In so many ways he was just like his namesakes, but in so many others he was completely different. He was smart, he'd always been smart, understanding everything from mathematics to spells quicker than anyone else in the family ever had and he could sit in one spot and read for hours on end without even glancing up, much like Hermione could.

Really it made a lot of sense for Albus to be in Ravenclaw, somehow, Harry had just never imagined him ending up there. Still, he was happy. Albus would be happy in Ravenclaw and according to McGonagall he already had friends in the house which was even better. Harry hadn't heard about them all, but the headmistress had told him that Rose had also made it into Ravenclaw which pleased Harry greatly. With that thought his mind turned to Hermione and he threw another handful of floo powder into the fireplace calling out for the Krum Manor and sticking his head in.

The living room of Krum manor came into view and Harry looked around for Hermione.

"Hello," he called out only to be answered by a male, Bulgarian voice.

"Harry, good evening to you," Victor greeted kneeling down to address Harry with a smile.

"Hi, Vic, how are you?" Harry asked with a smile of his own.

"I am well, thank you, how are you?" Victor asked in return.

"Pretty good," Harry replied before asking, "Is Hermione in? There's some news I'd like to share with you both."

As is his voice had summoned her Hermione suddenly appeared in the room, "Who is it, love?" she asked Victor who turned to address her.

"It's Harry, sweetheart, he wants to talk to us," Victor told her and she came to kneel down beside him.

"Hi Harry, how are you?" she greeted cheerfully.

"I'm good thanks, Mione. I wanted to tell you I just got off the floo from McGonagall and you'll never guess it, Albus and Rose were both sorted into Ravenclaw," Harry told her with a smile.

The pair were happy as expected and Victor thanked Harry for the news before heading out of the room to owl his family. Once he was gone Hermione turned back to Harry, her smile not quite as wide as it had been previously. "Does Ginny know yet?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head, "No, she's still out at the moment," Harry replied.

"How do you think she'll take it?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not sure. I mean it's not Slytherin but … honestly I have no idea how she'll react. Things have been so strained between us lately," he told her sadly. "We've barely spoken since we got home."

"Do you want me to come over? I can be there when you tell her," she offered.

"No, it's fine," Harry replied with a sigh.

Just then the sound of the door closing caught his attention and he knew it was Ginny home. "There she is, I have to go. I'll talk to you soon," he said.

"Okay, let me know how it goes and if you need anything all right," Hermione replied.

"Thanks, Mione, I'll talk to you soon."

He pulled back from the floo and headed for the door, mentally preparing himself for his wife's reaction.

XX

The Ravenclaw dorm was comfortable and cosy with large, domed windows and a circular shape. There were large chairs wrapping around the fire in the common room which was decorated with dark blue, star speckled, silk drapes, chairs and carpets. The rooms were decorated in a similar style with blue, star speckled, silk drapes hanging around the beds which were positioned around the room in a similar way to how Harry had described the Gryffindor dorm. Albus, Scorpius, and Simon claimed a room together with Lysander Scamander and Jessie Nott. They set about unpacking and getting to know each other before finally showering and climbing into bed.

Albus lay there for a while listening to Lysander hum quietly to himself, because apparently the nargles liked it, and watching Scorpius who was sleeping in the bed next to his. The blonde was so lovely in every way and Albus was so glad they'd been placed in the same house. He was so excited about the thought of spending the next few years with Scorpius and the others, although he felt more than a little silly about his freak out on the boats earlier in the evening. Come to think of it, he'd never really figured out what made him freak out like that in the first place.

He was staring at the ceiling mulling over it when Scorpius quiet voice touched his ears. "Are you okay? Can't you sleep?" he asked quietly.

"Just thinking," Albus replied warmed by the other boy's concern. "What about you?"

A small sniff came from the blonde's direction before he replied, "I miss my family."

Albus rolled over and looked at the young blonde to see a few tears slip from his eyes before he wiped them away with a tissue he'd obviously procured from somewhere. Knowing it was his turn to comfort the other boy this time Albus climbed out of his bed and moved over to Scorpius'. Scorpius moved over slightly and allowed Albus to climb in beside him. Albus wiped the next lot of tears off the lovely blonde boy's face before slipping his arms around him and hugging him gently.

Scorpius sniffled lightly and cuddled Albus back pressing his face to the other boy's pyjama covered chest. "I knew it was going to be hard, I've never been away like this before. I just didn't realize I'd get so homesick so quickly," Scorpius whispered. "I mean it was hard when Luciana went away last year. I was so used to her always being there and suddenly she wasn't, but I got used to it and I thought at least this year I'd be able to see her, you know, so it might be hard leaving home but I'd be okay because I'd be with her. Now I'm here, father and Severus are all the way back home and Luciana and I aren't even in the same house. I know I probably sound like a complete baby but I miss them. I miss my father talking to me at night; I miss Severus sneaking into my room after he's supposed to be in bed to read with me because he's not tired. I miss Luciana slipping in to tell us stories about Hogwarts and teach us spells she learnt last year like she did all Summer."

"It sounds like you're really close," Albus noted with a soft smile thinking about his own father and sisters. "That's nice, not everyone is that close to their family."

"Yeah, we are, we're always doing things together," Scorpius replied and Albus was happy to hear a smile in his voice.

"I know you miss them, but you'll see them soon right? At Christmas you'll be able to go home for a while and with all the work I'm sure they'll have us doing here it'll feel like no time at all, I'm sure of it," Albus reassured the blonde gently.

"Yeah I know, I'll be fine I just have to get used to it," Scorpius replied. "Thanks for being so nice to me about this; I appreciate you not teasing me like you could have."

"I'd never tease you, Scorpius," Albus assured him. "You're my friend and I'm not in a habit of being mean to my friends. Besides, you handled my freak out earlier, it's only fair that I return the favour."

Scorpius chuckled and pulled back slightly to look up at Albus. "You know, I'm really glad I met you, I'm really thankful that we're friends," he said with a sincere smile.

"Yeah, me too," Albus replied returning the smile.

"Can I ask you a favour?" Scorpius asked suddenly looking down.

"Sure," Albus replied curious about his friend's suddenly evasive behaviour.

"Could you maybe not go?" Scorpius asked barely above a whisper. "I feel better when you're close."

Albus smiled to himself and settled down into a more comfortable position, his arms still around the blonde. "Goodnight Scorpius," he said softly.

"Goodnight, Albus," the blonde whispered after a few moments. "Thank you."

XX

End of chapter

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